Regrets
by Jolinar773
Summary: Believing Zaude will be the last stop on their journey, Yuri takes the eve of the final battle to pick a few bones with a certain old man.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Verperia or any of the character, nor am I making money from it. Just for fun. Also, don't have beta, so apologies for any gramatical errors. English is not my native language, still having trouble with commas and stuff.

**Introduction: **This little drabble takes place after bossfight with Estelle at the top of the Sword Stair in Zaphias, before going after Alexei to Zaude. Also, I never wrote a prequel to this. Hints about Yuri's one-night stand with Raven are everything there is, but I've always written firsts and they sort of feel all the same to em now, so I wanted a change of pace. I do like to make the characters as realistic as possible, which doesn't always turn out quite right. Hopefully, I did a good enough job, not having written anything in forever.

Please enjoy :)

* * *

**REGRETS**

_"Hope everybody can get some sleep."..._

Yeah, everybody except him that is.

Yuri sighed as he wriggled in an effort to make himself more comfortable.

It did not help.

He had no idea how long he has been staring into the darkened ceiling. Could have been minutes, though it felt like centuries. His mind was wide awake, even though his body wished nothing more than to simply rest. He was sore in places he didn't even know he had, not having stopped once since Karol gave him a piece of his mind back in Quoi Woods.

Of course Yuri knew it was stupid of him to leave his friends behind, so Rapede's betrayal did not sting as much as it should have when the dog led them straight to him agaist Yuri's explicit whishes.

But he was glad they found him. He never felt happier getting punched in the face, yet his guild's loyaltly made him somehow even more miserable than before.

Yes, Estelle survived in the end and the people from Lower Quarter were safe thanks to LeBlanc and the tweedles, but still...

He finally gave up trying to fall asleep, jumping to his feet with a frustrated grunt instead. He was still angry. Angry at Flynn for being so damn oblivious, when he had Alexei right there in front of him the whole damn time; angry at himself for letting this happen in the first place.

And of course, there was Raven.

For once in his life Yuri made a choice to ignore his instincts against his better judgement. He let himself become soft and the old man played him like a fiddle in more ways than one.

In a sudden rush of fury, Yuri's fist connected with a nearby wall. There was the sound of bones cracking and he felt a jolt of pain shoot from his knuckles all the way into his shoulder, though it probably ought to have hurt more than it did.

Memories flooded his mind, draining the anger out of him and Yuri shivered.

Back then he saw no other choice but to take matters into his own hands. No matter how justified, he did commit murder and the burden of that sin threatened to drag him into the abyss. The second time would have destroyed him entirely, had one person not been there to offer the right words of comfort Yuri couldn't find anywhere else.

The swordsman succumbed easily, and once was enough. Single slip, fleeting moment of vulnerability and he found himself unable to resist the warmth of Raven's touch, the softness of his lips or the skill with which the old man knew exactly where to touch and what to do to make Yuri forget.

And he fell for it hook, line and sinker.

It was only after the events at Baction the young man finally realized why it seemed Raven understood him so completely. When the archer's true colors came to light, it should have brought Yuri to his senses, he knew. However, something in his heart simply broke the moment he recognized the intimately familiar voice that now belonged to Captain Schwann of the Imperial Knights. And it frustrated him to no end that he couldn't hate the man no matter how hard he tried.

It would have been easier to hate him, than it was to loose him.

The desire to beat the old bastard into a pulp again once he walked nonchalantly back in to their lives barely an hour later, as if nothing ever happened, did not at all improve Yuri's sour mood.

Since then the swordsman may have accepted the old man's regrets, but there was a part of him that could never forget. Still, could he perhaps forgive?

This one simple question left him hollow and searching. Would he want to, even if he could?

Unable to answer that, Yuri clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked around. Without knowing how he had gotten there in the first place, he found himself standing at the top of the stairs leading to Zaphias Castle prison.

His hands closed into fists several times, he considered turning on his heels and leaving. What was he going to say if he went to see him again anyway?

But he could not stand this anymore. For better or worse he had to straighten things out before the final battle began, if only just to get closure.

Yuri paused again for a moment as he descended, silently approaching the farthest cell. He could hear two familiar voices as he came close, Raven and what sounded like Rita.

From what he understood from her muttering, she came down here to fiddle with Raven's blastia for some reason that had to do with Estelle. Whatever it was, it did not seem to make the archer feel particularly well to a point, where he became distractingly loudly concerned about being made subject of the mage's experiments.

"Just deal with it for a while, old man! And shut up, I need to focus!" she snapped at him without taking her eyes off her work.

Her fingers moved knowingly over a colorful console above his chest at amazing speed, while Raven appeared to barely be able to catch his breath.

"There. Done." Rita exclaimed after few more minutes, getting up as she swiped her hand to close it. Before leaving, she also graciously took a moment to ensure the old man he was in no danger of dying, because she knew what she was doing.

Without thinking how ridiculous it was trying to sneak _into_ a prison, Yuri quickly moved to hide so she wouldn't see him, though he needn't have bothered. Rita being Rita, she would probably fail to notice him even if he walked right past her.

Raven, however, was a different story altogether.

"Come again fer a chat with ol' Raven?" his voice came out after an awkwardly long pause. "I'm flattered."

He appeared to have been waiting for Yuri to come out by himself. After realizing that would not happen, he finally decided to take the first step.

Briefly, Yuri once again wished he had just turned around and left. It was too late for that now, however. He knew, even if he turned tail again, he could no longer avoid a confrontation, only postpone it.

And he did not like waiting.

Walking lazily into Raven's wide-open cell, he hid his face within the comforting shadow of his long, dark hair, which gave him a few extra seconds to think of what he was going to say. The gesture also seemed to have had another side effect.

"Or have ya finally come ta finish me off?" Raven propped himself up with his elbows, certain stiffness in his shoulders.

His voice was playful, though tinted ever so slighly by suspicion and perhaps... fear? After all, he of all people understood exactly what the young swordsman was capable of.

Yuri stopped barely two meters away, resting his hand on his hip as he raised his eyes to Raven's. There was a slight smirk curling his lips, fake as much as it was teasing.

"Can't say I haven't thought about it." he said and found his voice steady, even if his thoughts raced like a wild stampede.

To be honest, the longer the two of them spent together, the harder it was for Yuri to summon the courage to actually do what he came here to do. The same thing happened the first time he had found Raven here earlier that day.

Yuri was not proud of himself, having ran away with tail between his legs then, and he thanked all the deities he knew for all these years of training in the art of the perfect poker face.

However, he welcomed the familiar sight of Raven's expression as the old man grabbed at his chest theatricaly where his blastia was hiding underneath the soft fabrick of his shirt. "Now, now, yung'un, that's just mean, ya know."

However much Yuri wanted to see the old, easy-going Raven with not a care in the world in him, the archer's gaze was as sharp as ever when he looked straight at him. He knew at once this was no simple social visit.

In fact, it has been a long time coming. Raven was not at all sure, if he should be relieved or anxious now that the moment finally arrived; not after their confrontation at Baction, and certainly not after a rather painful reunion aboard Heracles.

Afterwards, he noticed Yuri keeping hius distance from him. Or at least more so than usual, and that was saying something.

He no longer responded to Raven's attempts to lighten the atmosphere and he always seemed to avert his eyes whenever the archer tried to make contact.

Of course, Raven could not possibly hold it against him. He deserved everything he got after what he had done, and more. Especially from Yuri.

"Yeah. But we're still far from even, old man." the swordsman responded coldly, his natural protective instincts kicking in before he even realized it.

Raven cringed with guilt. He knew Yuri well enough by now to see just how much he wanted to say and how he struggled to get it all out.

"You did what you thought you had to, I understand that. But I should have known." the young man frowned, his hands curled into fists. He spoke as much to himself as he did to Raven. "I can't believe I didn't connect the dots, especially after what you pulled to get us through Flynn's blocade."

Raven remembered. Trapped in a narrow cave beneath a mountain, it may have been dumb luck -or perhaps something else- that smiled upon them, when the knights blocking their only way out turned out to be LeBlanc and his men. It was a gamble and Raven risked everything by doing what he did.

Still, the memory of happier time brought a slight smile to his face.

"Shoulda known you'd catch on. Woulda been trouble, if you found out sooner, though."

He didn't mean anything by it, but the damage was already done when he realized he had struck a nerve.

Yuri moved too quickly. Raven had barely time to register it as the young man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him so close he could feel hot breath on his cheek and steel-cold gaze piercing through him.

"If you think this is funny, Raven, think again." Yuri snarled into his companion's face.

Then, just as suddenly, he let go. His composure, however, had gone and the next time their eyes met, it was him who was taken aback.

For a single moment, from beneath a few loosened strands of jet-black hair, it was Schwann looking up at him.

Then the moment ended and there was just Raven of Altosk.

"It's not. I'm sorry." he said, his voice somber and suddenly lacking his usual accent. He also had some things to say and if Yuri refuses to face the truth, he will slap him with it so he can't ignore it any longer. "But don't pretend this is about anyone but us."

The word 'us' felt like a fist to his gut. Yuri's shoulders tensed and his pupils constricted briefly, but he said nothing.

"I hurt the young lady. I hurt a lot of people." Raven continued. He wasn't afaid to admit it. "But above all others I hurt you. I took advantage of you and did things I shouldn't have done. That's why you're here now, isn't it?"

His whole posture as he stood up, challenged Yuri to deny it. "But I never lied to you. I meant every word I said."

Whether Yuri wanted or not, the archer's casual admission had broken the last dam at the depths of his mind, that kept the memories he tried so hard to forget from flooding in. Once again he could hear Raven's husky voice whispering against his skin; murmured words of praise and promises of pleasure that brought him to the heights of extasy.

Simply recollecting those events awakened something dormant that curled through his insides to nestle below his abdomen. Yuri forced himself not to aknowledge it.

He also remembered Raven's strange reaction, when he tugged at his shirt in the heat of passion. Of course, now he knew it was because the old man didn't want to reveal his blastia - yet another piece of the puzzle he should have put together to get the whole picture before it was too late.

But by then Yuri was too far gone or too drunk on Raven's sweet words to think about anything at all.

And in the end, Estelle paid the price.

His derisive chuckle sliced through the silence between them like a knife. He wanted to believe Raven. He wanted it more than he would ever admit even to himself, but he refused to make the same mistake again.

"Yeah. Sure. Say whatever you want, I'm not falling for that again." he fixed him with a frigid stare. "Your life may belong to the guild, but don't go counting on me to make it any easier for you, old man."

His heart felt like breaking. Words rolled out of his mouth he never meant to say, but he coudn't do it. He just didn't know how to deal with someone who seemed to read him like an open book. Raven was opening wounds that were meant to remain closed forever.

And what followed almost shattered the whole world around him.

"Then, I guess, there is no more reason fer me to go on livin' after all." Raven breathed, his expression blank.

Watching his feet intently for a moment he then swiped his hand to bring up the very same control console Rita had used earlier. Rainbow of colors illuminated his face as he skillfuly entered a series of commands.

It took Yuri far too long to realize wat he was doing, and by then the blastia core in Raven's chest began to darken as the archer's movements became sluggish, breathing more shallow and rapid with each one he took.

"What're you...!?" Without second thought, Yuri shot forward to stop him. "Old man!"

But it was too late. He only managed to catch him as he collapsed.

Insistant pangs of panick spread througout his mind as Raven's body grew steadily heavier. Yuri knew nothing about formulas, so he had no way of knowing how much damage the archer had done to himself. And he sure as hell wasn't going to blindly try to fix it, hoping for the best.

"RIIITA!"" he shouted out of pure desperation, knowing full well it wasn't going to help; they were too far away.

And before he could go get her, Raven might already be dead. But what _should_ he do?

The thought of Raven dying in this dingy shithole right before his eyes threatened to tear him apart. Fear and anger welled up inside him, Yuri felt like beating the crap out of the man for doing this to himself because of _him_. At the same time, he realized he has never felt this powerless in his entire life and he hated himself all the more for it.

Raven's eyes cracked open to search for their dark countrparts, filled with so many emotions at once he could not possibbly identify all of them.

"Haaaah... see?... Ya do... care" he breathed, managing a grin, despite waves of overpowering nausea and exhaustion. The color slowly drained out of his face.

As those austere, blue orbs fluttered closed again, he went completely limp. And Yuri's brain stopped working at all.

No.

No. No. No. "Wake up, damn you!" Yuri shook him like a rag doll for lack of better ideas. "Have you lost your mind?! You didn't get out of one dungeon so you could die in another, dammit!"

But there was no response. The crimson core of Raven's hermes blastia remained dark and innert, no matter what Yuri did.

Finally, the swordsman gritted his teeth against the icy claw of dread sqeezing all warmth out of his body. Something wet stained his cheeks and his vision became blury as tears trickled down his face. He didn't know what to do.

He didn't know anything anymore.

* * *

**Afterthought: **Yes, I do enjoy killing characters, though I hate it when someone offs my favourites. This was supposed to be short, but words sort of piled up and I ended up spliting it in two chapters. TLDR and all that.

Please don't hate me ;)

Comments appreciated :3


	2. Chapter 2

Yuri had absolutely now idea how long he just sat there in the solitary prison cell, holding the lifeless body of his precious friend in his arms. There was no spark in his dark eyes as they stared into nothing, he might as well have been dead too.

Back at Baction he ran on adrenalin. He simply had no time to even think about things like grief, even as they thought they had left the First Captain of the Imperial Knights behind for good, but now... now Yuri finally stopped to consider exactly what it meant to never be able to hear Raven's voice.

The young swordsman realized with terrifying finality that he was never going to see that stupid grin on the old man's face; never hear another leecherous remark or a joke that made nobody laugh. No more playful banters with Rita and no more reprimands for Raven's talent of skillfully pushing the genius mage's buttons.

What was he going to tell the others?

But, selfishly, Yuri could not bring himself to think about how anybody else would react. He only felt his own sorrow, and if he were allowed to wallow in it much longer, he feared he might sink into the bottomless chasm that seemed to have formed within his chest, never to crawl back out again.

"Awww. Ya'd miss me after all." voice came out as if through a veil. It spoke in a familiar fashion that Yuri couldn't quite place. "It warms this ol' man's heart."

_Huh?_

Despite the obvious heart pun, it took a while before the numbness paralyzing him subsided enough for Yuri to notice a pair of turquois eyes peeking up at him in his misery.

He blinked away moisture, thinking he must have finally snapped, but no; Raven was definitely watching him, rather enjoying himself actually, his lips curled in a self-satisfied smirk.

The realization of what had just transpired then quickly dawned on the young swordsman - he's been played for a sap the whole time.

He could not believe he fell for the old man's act. _Again_.

"Ouch!" the archer exclaimed as he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.

When he looked up, Yuri towered over him, threateningly cracking his knuckles. There seemed to be a tangible aura of malice wrapping around him like a pitch-black cloak.

Entirely humorless grin plastered on his face, the young swordsman's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

"Hold still, old man." he growled through gritted teeth.

Raven gulped. Perhaps he had gone a tad too far? By temporarily cutting the flow of power into his heart, he only tried to give Yuri the necessary push in the right direction, but perhaps he had misinterpreted the true nature of the young man's feeling toward him entirely.

"Wait! Wait!" he scrambled to get away in time to avoid any more pain, raising his arms to protect himself.

There was a long pause where he awaited whatever was coming to him, but instead of taking the wrath of Yuri Lowell, Raven heard the swordsman exhale softly, as if attemting to calm down.

When the archer dared to peek through his fingers, Yuri's face was once again the perfect poker face that suggested he should think his next words through very carefully. His life might depend on how well he could convey the point of his little practical joke.

"I'm sorry. I know it was stupid, but I had to make ya listen." he sighed, assuming his favourite sitting position for more comfort, hands resting on his ankles.

Now that Yuri was finally willind to listen, Raven just had to muster the courage to come out.

"Y'see, what you said back at Baction got me thinkin' and I woulda died there along with that piece o' crap captain if it weren't fer you. And I mean you specifically. You were the one thing that kept me goin', Yuri. "

Raven invertedly grimaced, almost tasting the tons of cheese seeping out of his words, but he had made up his mind. Unless he took things into his own hands, nothing between them would change. He wished to get it out as much as Yuri. Now more than ever he wanted his dearest friend to realize he had left his past buried along with Schwann and had no intention to let it further ruin his future, whatever it may hold.

"I know ya think I was just screwin' around that one time, but... for me it meant somethin', y'know." he paused, embarrassed. "I... uh... I mean, you..." he slowly trailed off.

As he spoke, his own memories flashed before his eyes. They were from another lifetime, one Raven has kept hidden in the deepest parts of his soul, but now they were all flooding to the surface. For all his endeavour to open Yuri's eyes he realized, in the end, that he has had his own shut tight.

Of course, he would never admit to anyone that he now found himself stammering like a lovesick schoolgirl because he had fallen for Yuri so completely, he simply no longer had the will to suppress it.

And the reason why he fell for him in the first place, was because Yuri reminded him of someone just as precious to him so much, it actually hurt.

Fumbling nervously around, Raven reached to sheepishly scratch the back of his head, focused intently on the tips of his own shoes. He had entirely forgotten what he was trying to say, his face felt like it was on fire.

He hoped against hope Yuri wouldn't notice.

For better or worse, though, he was spared the need to finish his maiden confession, when Yuri grabbed a fistful of his collar once more. They were far too close now and the world stopped around them as the swordsman looked carefully for signs of deception; anything that would give away Raven's ulterior motives.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke with somewhat resigned sigh:

"You pull something like this on me again, old man, and we're done. Understand?"

Raven nodded readily with a nervous chuckle, but before he had time to feel relieved it was finally over, there was a pleasantly surprising sensation of moist lips pressed tentatively to his own.

He stiffened, his eyes grew to the size of small saucers, but then a slender arm snaked around his waist to press him closer to Yuri's warmth, and that was it.

Soft whimper involuntarily left his throat before the archer responded in kind, parting his lips while delving into the kiss with all of his being. Their tongues met half-way, coiling round each other in a passionate dance of dominance, exploring just how long each man could hold out before pausing to take a shaky breath.

Their eyes met and like a beast awakening from slumber, lust reared its head, ready to take complete control.

"Ya know, kid," Raven winked playfully, suddenly giddy as a schoolboy. "I could get used ta this."

Only Yuri has ever been able to get him hard with just a kiss.

"Don't." the swordsman said curtly before he claimed the archer's mouth once more.

Sliding his hands up along lines of lean muscles shifting underneath the thin fabric of Raven's shirt, Yuri brushed against the surface of his blastia. The archer's breath hitched and he instinctively tried to avoid its exposure.

"Sorry, old man. You're not getting off the hook so easily this time." Yuri's voice was not more than a husky whisper in his ear that made Raven shiver from head to toe.

His body had nothing to hide anymore, even if it could. And Yuri planned to explore every nook and cranny to make absolutely sure of it.

His slender fingers tugged at the hem of his collar, then found their way beneath it, tackling one buton at a time on their way back down and over to the small of Raven's back. The archer hasn't even realized the string that tied heldfuzzy pineapple at ther back of his head had also come undone, until silky, jet-black strands flowed over his shoulders. Somewhat disaproving mewl escaped him when Yuri broke their contact to take a step back to see the whole beauty of it.

His mouth curled into a satisfied smirk as his gaze traveled along the contours of well-formed abdomen, tanned chest heaving with shaky breaths, pausing momentarily at the ragged edges of the only blastia in the whole world powered not by aer, but by human vitality.

He watched, mesmerized, as its crimson core gleamed in rythm with his own hearbeat.

It took almost all the self-control he had to tear away from it, continuing his journey over strong jaw and chin covered with dark stubble; moist, parted lips; flushed face and -finally- meeting the voluptuous gaze of a single turqois orb visible beneath the dark curtain of raven hair.

Once more, for a split second Yuri was looking not at Raven of Altosk but instead the First Captain of the Imperial Knights stood before him, exposed and vulnerable. It was the strangest feeling, yet not at all displeasing.

If anything, the sight only served to arouse the young swordsman all the more.

Raven's voice echoed in his mind:

_"For me it meant somethin', y'know."_ and Yuri could not resist anymore.

He pulled his lover closer one more time, pushing through his kiss-swolen lips to claim him over and over until their lungs screamed for oxygen.

He too had lost one or two pieces of clothing to the incessant, hungry caresses of bow-calloused hands. Now, he couldn't help but moan as his lover's hands brushed against the hardened bulge between his thighs. His knees buckled and together they slid to the ground within the circle of each others arms.

Yuri's forehead rested at the crook of Raven's neck, but the archer paid no head to the tickling sensation of long, velvety strands against the skin of his shoulders and chest. He focused instead on disposing of the last obstacle between him and the sweat prize twitching expectantly between Yuri's thighs.

The swordsman had no intention of staying behind, however. Reaching out to wrap his own fingers around Raven's burning legth, the strokes of their hands soon became a battle of endurance.

Using each other for support, they huddled together, focused solely on bringing out the sweetest, most desperate sounds of pleasure from one another.

Yuri was younger, he should have had more control over his own vices, yet skillfuly applied preasure and release method proved too much for him to handle. He had forgotten how well the old man knew all of Yuri's weak spots and how he could turn even his strengths against him.

Despite his best efforts, fingernails of the young swordsman's free hand dug viciously into the skin of his lover's strong shoulder, drawing out an almost imperceptible hiss. This was his last act of defiance before he surrendered, his body shuddered and a strangled cry echoed through the silence as he spilled onto his stomach as well as Raven.

Universe burst into existence beneath Yuri's closed eyelids and he would have slid onto the cold ground, if it hadn't been for a pair of strong arms scooping him up.

He felt himself being hoisted up, then huffed as he fell onto something softer than stone, though not by much. The only rickety bed within their prison cell creaked in protest against their combined weight as they flopped down onto it in a tangle of limbs.

For a moment Yuri was afraid it might give in, bud even if that happened, he couldn't bring himself to spare more than a stray thought.

Through the haze of his release he saw a shadow looming over him. Now all too brilliantly glowing light of the blastia in Raven's chest illuminated his darkened face. His otherwise pale, blue-green eyes looked suddenly dark, giving the man a somewhat demonic appearance of an incubus ready to devour Yuri whole.

Tantalizingly, Raven's tongue lashed out to sweep the sticky, milky substance from his fingers. His eyes never left his lover's. He looked more than pleased at the taste and Yuri had the sinking feeling he was going to pay for his defeat with much more than what little remained of his pride as a man.

He hadn't realized how true he was until Raven's hair tickled his cheeks when the man lowered his head.

"Sorry, Yuri." were the only words of warning whispered in his ear in a voice so thick with appetence, Yuri could barely recognized it.

Moment later strong hand covered both his wrists and pinned his arms against the matress above his head. Hot breath against the line of his jaw was the only indication for him to prepare for the intrusion into his most private area.

He would have cried out at the sensation of something small and slick invading him, if it weren't for moist lips covering his own to prevent it. He tasted himself on Raven's tongue and it wasn't as strange as he had imagined.

Yuri tugget against the grip on his wrists when a second finger slipped through his entrance, his hips bucked and he tried to wriggle out of the old pervert's grasp to no avail.

It wasn't painful per se, more strange and a little disconcerting. Perhaps because he realized what he was being prepared for.

They had talked about it the first time around, but because Raven cut things short when Yuri inadvertently almost revealed his blastia heart, the topic was left opened in the end.

The young swordsman moaned at a sudden loss of contact of their lips. Impulses moved slugishly through his lust addled brain, it took him far to long to notice Raven settling between his legs instead.

His fingers left Yuri's tightness and warmth in favour of trailing along the pale skin of his thigh, before hooking an elbow under the younger man's knee.

Pulling up and leaning into him, the archer gained full access to everything he wanted.

For the briefest moment, fear flashed through Yuri's dark gaze, but it was exchanged for the most exquisite sounds of pleasure the moment Raven finally slipped inside him.

Slowly, milimeter by milimeter, he moved, watching for signs to guid him in the right direction. Obviously, there must have been discomfort, to say the least. He could tell by the overwhelming tightness as much as from simply watching expressions flash across that young, fair mien now tinged pink from Yuri's cheeks all the way to his ears.

His long, dark mane pooled like a river of silk in stark contrast with his pale skin.

Now it was Yuri's turn to bear up against a scrutinizing turquois gaze, while completely exposed and entirely his lover's mercy.

But Raven could not enjoy it as much as he wished to. He was quickly loosing control.

Releasing Yuri's wrists at last, he licked his lips and straightened up on his knees. His lover's chest stopped rising and falling quite as rapidly and his pain seemed to have subsided, Raven felt comfortable making crossing the rest of the final line.

Wrapping his arms around Yuri's slender waist he shifted slightly to the side, then pulled him up to sit in his lap without slipping out of him once. He rested his back against a wall, ignoring the chill seeping from it, and straightened his own legs in front of him so that Yuri could comfortably straddle his hips.

Though wincing slightly, Yuri did nothing to protest. Quite the opposite; he shifted his weight, seeking purchase by wrapping his arms around Raven's shoulders. As if reading his mind, when he was him struggle with a loose strand of hair, Raven reached up to scoop the long strands in a single sweep. He fished a thin string from somewhere and used it to make a haphazard knot at the back of Yuri's head.

The swordsman blinked at him, shook his head, but when nothing happened he happily winded his fingers through the smooth but somewhat sticky, black veil plastered across the left side of Raven's face. His earlier hesitation had disappeared completely, replaced by a sense of giddy expectation the arched had never seen coming.

Yuri swept it behind Raven's ear at the same time he ran his tongue along the line of the archer's lower lip. Then he bit down, hard, as he lowered his hips, sliding his lover deeper inside him.

They both tensed and, for a moment, they were still. Finally, Raven's calloused hands slipped lower to cup the round of his Yuri's bottom in an attempt to nudge him to move.

He complied without thinking and together, they matched their pace to the rhythm of their breathing, increasing it steadily as the last sinews of sanity began to tear.

Yuri reached between their heated bodies to help himself as they sped towards the threashold of mutual blissful climax, the very spot that made him almost loose his mind hit with each collision of their hips.

He was quickly spiraling out of control.

It took only a few more wild thrusts for their lips to crush together violently, muffling their cries as they reached the peak in unison, then began to fall.

Their breathing heavy and their throats dry, they collapsed, locked still in each other's embrace. They had neither the strength nor the will to disentagle for the longest time, so they just lay there, enjoying the delicious wake of their coupling.

Yuri was the first to stir. He propped himself up with his hand, looking down at the unmoving Raven.

"You alive, old man?" he asked nochalantly.

The archer knew better than to fall for such poor acting.

"Not sure yet." one of his eyes cracked open as he turned his head. It reflected the sly grin that curled the corners of his mouth. "Wanna go again ta find out?"

Yuri scoffed, then winced as he inadvertantly put pressure on his sore behind.

"Only if we switch places this time." he said.

Raven looked pensive for a moment, then he waved his hand.

"Nah, yer too much fer this ol' man ta handle, kid."

"Yeah, sure." Yuri knew the archer wouldn't agree, that's why he taunted him on purpose. He didn't have it in him either, even if their roles reversed. "You're not the one whose whole body hurts like hell."

Raven's grin widened, his fingers stroke the stubble on his chin.

"Well, ain'tcha quite the blushin' virgin." he winked, then quickly avoided a fist in the face.

Yuri growled angrily, standing up to gather the pieces of his clothes. He needed to find a shower, preferably somewhere nobody could find him.

"I'll let that slide for now, old man. I'm not looking to go up against the First Captain of the Knights again anytime soon." he said, trying to make himself look more or less the usual in case he met anyone along the way.

Raven's brows knitted together in a frown thatlet down a heartbeat later as he relaxed back onto the matress, still stark naked and not at all ashamed.

"He's not comin' back, kid. Ya killed that worthless shmuck yerself, remember?"

For some reason Yuri felt sad hearing those words. He may have struck with the intention to kill, but for once the blood was not on his hands. If anything, he owed Schwann Oltorain his own life as well as the lives of the entire Brave Vesperia.

He shook his head.

"I only made it easier for you to run away." he said, his voice quiet and austere. "Unless you accept him, he'll always be there."

Raven stared at him, dumbfounded. He had forgotten one of the most crucial lessons Don Whitehorse has taught him. Maybe not in so many words -mainly fists- but what Yuri had said brought back memories of the only other person who accepted him, knowing more than well who he really was.

The crooked cringe that graced his tanned features was more genuine than Yuri had ever seen before.

"Ya got me, young'un. This ol' man's done fer if he has ta hear thing like that from a kid like you." Raven sighed in defeat.

Yuri's eyes rested on the blastia now gleaming weakly over Raven's heart one last time, before he turned on his heels and left.

It was not difficult for him to imagine he would probably end up going for another round if he had stayed, and apart from the fact that he hurt all over, he wasn't about to give that old pervert more ammunition against him.

There will be other times. It's not like this was the end of the world, after all.


End file.
